Upon the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year in mid-June, MCPS began plans for the instructional model for the next year with regards to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Originally envisioning a virtual-only model, county education officers redesigned the plan to accommodate partial in-person learning after feedback from the school community. In late July, the county health officer—Dr. Travis Gayles—delivered a message to MCPS concerning the 2020-2021 school year, recommending that the county Board of Education begin planning for a virtual-only first semester.
This recommendation came after health metrics contraindicated an in-person back-to-school, leading the school district to again revise its Recovery of Education Plan to accommodate virtual-only instruction, with a reassessment of the situation on Jan. 29, 2021; or until state and local health officials determine conditions around the county are safe enough for students to return. This proposed system was approved by the county Board of Education in a business meeting on Aug. 25th.
Just two days later, Governor Larry Hogan held a press conference in his office in Annapolis with MSDE Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon, announcing that the state’s 24 school districts have all been authorized to reopen in-person.
Gov. Hogan’s announcement was immediately met with criticism from county leaders.
“We are deeply disappointed by the last-minute announcement of this critical information for school systems [and] will begin the school year in a virtual-only instructional model… as scheduled,” MCPS announced that same day.
To complement the uncertainties of the new virtual school year, the BOE shifted the focus of their nearly-bimonthly business meetings to discuss reports and updates from various involved educational leaders on how their groups are progressing into the new school year.
A topic of discussion among the members of the Board were the issues of student connectivity and engagement, and how it can be improved in light of distance learning.
“There is a difference between attendance and engagement, and while we’re interested in attendance we are extremely interested in engagement. And that’s the challenge,” Steven Neff, director of pupil personnel and attendance services, said.
This is where pupil personnel workers come into play. The Board discussed, in the Sept. 10th meeting, the role of the pupil personnel worker. These operatives, assigned on a school basis, work as a liaison between students and the school—to better engage disinterested students and coax them back into school life.
Still, according to county Superintendent Jack Smith, 98% of students have engaged with MCPS learning resources, compared to the expected 90%.
More than just improving student attendance and engagement metrics, pupil personnel workers also act as student outreach and well-being teams to help bridge the gap between students and educators. The work of PPWs include assisting with students’ socioemotional well-being, providing necessary support to remove barriers to distance learning and working to improve student engagement in virtual school. PPWs may also, in other situations, work with court liaisons to assist students transitioning from DJS back into MCPS and alternative education program staff to support students’ return to school life.
“We had two siblings where the students were not engaged or attending class because their father had just passed away from COVID… [We] made a referral for wraparound services for the family to receive [therapy] and housing support… and so through the student well-being team we worked together [with the family] to collaborate to figure out what would be the best support that we needed to put in place for those siblings,” pupil personnel worker Jacqueline Khelawan said.
Attendance is a concern not only to the students’ end, but also the educators’.
“I never want to see a snow day again,” Smith said in the Sept. 10th meeting.
He emphasized that, through the developed and learned virtual learning technology, online learning can be used as a backup platform in future post-coronavirus school years for school-days that otherwise would have been cancelled due to heavy snow or other environmental factors.
This was later followed with a discussion concerning educators and possible future methods to deliver live instruction.
The Board also discussed tentative plans to assist and facilitate teachers and support staff who would like to teach virtually only as a possible option even well into the next year as a district-wide opportunity for wanting educators, as well as authorization for teachers, whose home environments are not conducive to virtual learning, to teach virtually while having use of a physical classroom.
Article written by Eliazar Montemayor of Walter Johnson High School
Graphic by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School